


Forgivable Mistakes I

by olgushka



Category: Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Alternate Universe, Domestic, Fighting/Making Up, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Kid Fic, M/M, Marriage, Parenthood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-02
Updated: 2016-12-02
Packaged: 2018-09-06 01:41:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8729695
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/olgushka/pseuds/olgushka
Summary: Marriage is not always rainbows and butterflies. Parenthood isn't either.





	

Tyler yelped and jumped up when two tiny hands touched his arm. He spaced out staring at the tables and diagrams on the screen of his laptop and didn’t even notice when a certain little person entered the living room.

„Jeez, you scared me so bad.” He let out a shaky breath and clutched a hand to his chest. „Why are you not sleeping?” He asked, turning his head to look at his daughter, dressed up in her fleecy penguin pajamas who giggled shortly but then turned all serious again.

„I miss daddy.”

 _Here we go again_.

„I know.”

„I want him to read me a bedtime story.”

„It’s kind of impossible right now and you know it.” Tyler sighed and let the six year old sit in his lap. „I can read it to you.”

„You can’t do the voices. Daddy can do different voices.”

„I can sing you a lullaby again?” 

„I don’t wanna.” She mumbled against his neck. „Are you still mad at daddy?”

Tyler hesitated.

„Yes.”

„Why?”

„Paige, we’ve been over this.” 

„Daddy did bad things and said bad words. I know. But when we do bad things and say bad words in class, we say sorry to each other and everything is fine again. Did daddy say sorry?”

„Yes.”

„Then why are you still mad?” She asked, clearly frustrated.

„It’s not that easy, sweetheart.”

„Adults are so complicated.” Paige sighed and Tyler tried really hard not to laugh at the statement. „I want to see him.”

„Honey...”

„Please? Tomorrow. Can I see him tomorrow?” She looked up at him with her big brown eyes.

„Daddy is in Los Angeles. You can’t see him.”

„Why?”

„It’s too far away.”

„How far?”

Tyler picked up his laptop, closed all the tabs with the projects he’s been working on and went to Google maps. 

„Look. We’re here, in Columbus. Daddy’s here.” He pointed his finger at the west coast.

„It’s not that far.”

 _Of course_.

„It’s a six hour plane flight. It takes about as long as you stay at school everyday. I have work and you have classes. We’re both busy. We can’t go.”

„You always work!” She scowled.

„Yes, but-”

„Are you and daddy getting divorced?”

„W-What?” Tyler almost choked on air. 

„Patrick said that his mom and dad were fighting a lot and they got divorced because they didn’t love each other anymore. They live in two different houses now and Patrick can’t see his dad too often but sometimes he can stay with him for a few days and his dad has a new girlfriend now. Is this what you’re doing now? Getting a divorce? Because daddy lives in a different place now.” She said. Tyler opened his mouth but no sound came out. His eyes burned holes in the chest of drawers where the divorce papers waited for his signature. „I don’t want two houses.” Paige continued. „I want one house. And I don’t want daddy to get a new boyfriend.”

„No, me neither.” He whispered, more to himself than her. He cleared his throat and kissed the top of her head. „Like you said earlier, and you were one hundred percent right about it, adults are complicted. Me and daddy… We have some problems. But I promise we will eventually work it out, okay? We just need some more time.”

„Can you work it out before Christmas?” Paige asked and Tyler wanted to shoot himself in the head. _Christmas! Damn. Is it December already? It’s December. Oh no_. He nibbled on his bottom lip, struggling to come up with the answer. Before he could say anything, the little girl started babbling again. „I need daddy to help me decorate the tree. And put the star on top. And hang fairy lights in my room. And I want him to be there for the play we’re doing at school. And I want to go skateboarding with him again. And maybe we could go to that place where you can buy cookies and tea and you can pet cats. And I want to build a blanket fort with him again. And I want to go the park with him and feed pigeons. I want him back.”

„Oh, Paige.” He hugged her tighter and kissed her forehead. „I will think about it, okay? But now it’s time to go back to bed. It’s late and you have school tomorrow.”

He stood up and carried her to her bedroom. He tucked her in and waited until she felt asleep but never left the room. He watched her breathe peacefully for a few minutes and then his eyes wandered to the photo of three of them on the shelf, next to a big teddy bear.

 

He woke up in the morning to a ray of sunshine beeming through the window, hitting him straight in the face. There was someone’s hair in his mouth and tiny limbs everywhere. He realized he fell asleep in his daughter's bed, she was sprawled out next to him like a starfish and he was about to fall off the mattress. He rubbed his eyes and glanced at the cat-shaped clock on the wall. His eyes widened and he immediately started untangling himself from pink blankets. He jumped out of bed.

„Paige? Paige! Wake up! We overslept!” Tyler pushed the covers aside. „Dammit!”

„W-what?” She opened her eyes and lifted her head, blinking rapidly.

„We overslept. Please, get up. You should be at school in fifteen minutes! Up, up! Go to the bathroom, quickly! I will pack your breakfast, you will eat in the car. There’s no time now!”

He run to the kitchen and growled. His back hurt like hell, he couldn’t remember the last time he slept in such tiny bed. He prepared two sandwiches, grabbed a bottle of orange juice from the fridge and went back to the bedroom to find something decent to wear. He found the last clean white button-down shirt and a plain black tie, black skinny jeans and a suit jacket among a big pile of dirty clothes and he thought he really needed a maid because since Josh wasn’t here, he kept collecting dirty clothes at the bottom of his wardrobe until he had nothing clean to wear.

„I can’t find my toothbrush!” He heard a yell from the bathroom.

„Are you serious right now?” He yelled back.

„Yes!” 

„I swear to God...”

He definitely needed a maid. Or Josh. He needed Josh back home. _Wait. Hell no_. He just needed the day to last 36 hours. That would be perfect. He would have plenty of time to do the laundry. He tightened the tie, turned to the bathroom and peeked inside.

„Oh. You found it.”

„No. This is the spare one that daddy bought for me just in case.” Paige said, mouth full of foam.

Tyler felt a weird twist in his stomach.

„I’ll find you some clean clothes.” He said, rushing to her room.

And he experienced a deja vu because there was a pile of dirty clothes at the bottom of her wardrobe and a few clean clothes left on the hangers. He really couldn't remember the last time he’s done any laundry. He found a pair of pants and a blouse that didn’t even match (he didn’t have much of a choice) and put them on her bed. When she left the bathroom, he quickly helped her change. 

„Will you braid my hair?”

„There’s no time now. And you know I can’t do that.”

He barely knew how to make a ponytail. He knew what Paige is gonna say next and he wasn’t mistaken.

„Daddy can-”

„Yes! Yes, I know!” He raised his voice, annoyed. It was too early for this. „Daddy can do many things better than I do! Daddy is better than I am at every freaking aspect of life but he’s not here right now. It’s just us so you need to at least _pretend_ that you’re happy with what you have.”

Paige seemed to be taken aback by his outburst. She looked at him with wide eyes but didn't say anything. Without a word she turned around, slipped her shoes on and grabbed her jacket. 

„I’m ready.” She said emotionlessly and turned to leave the room.

„Paige, wait.” He put his hands on her shoulders and kneeled down in front of her. She kept her gaze down. „I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to yell at you.” He put his hand on her cheek and made her look at him. „I just...” Tyler hesitated. He didn’t really know how to explain anything to her. „I know I can’t do half of the things daddy usually do. But I’m trying. It’s hard for me too, that he’s not here. But this is how things are right now.” He stroked her cheek with his thumb. „I’m sorry that you have to watch us fight. I know that you’re confused and don’t really understand what’s happening but you need to know one thing: we love you. Daddy loves you and I love you. You’re the best thing that happened to us and I will try to do everything I can to make things go back to normal again, okay?”

She nodded her head and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

„I love you too, dad.” She mumbled. „I didn’t want to make you angry.”

„It’s alright, honey.” He rubbed her back and kissed her forehead. „But we really need to go now. We’re so late!”

 

He arrived to work one hour later than he was supposed to but sneaked into the office without being caught by his boss and sat down in his chair, slightly loosening his tie. He didn’t even know what to start with but then his eyes landed on the red binder laying on his desk with a bright yellow sticky note attached to it, saying _IMPORTANT!_ scribbled in his boss handwritting. He squeezed his eyes shut. _She was here. She knew I was late_. Underneath the binder he found a couple of more documents with another sticky note: _deadline today noon_. He sighed and started to fill in the paperwork.

After what seemed like forever, he was done. He was drinking coffee and fiddling with his wedding ring when a very angry-looking Michael burst through the door.

„Tyler, these calculations are incorrect. Besides, you used the wrong sheets! We really don’t have time for such silly mistakes. I'm not gonna mention that you faxed them to Kate from the third floor instead of me. What is wrong with you today!?”

„Damn... Sorry.” He pinched the bridge of his nose and rubbed his hands over his face. „Let me fix this. Give me thirty minutes. I’m sorry, I had only two hours of sleep last night and I was late today. It’s not even ten in the morning and I’m running on my third coffee. I’m really distracted.”

„I can see that.” Michael nodded, closed the door and sat on the top of Tyler’s desk. „You look like shit. And your shirt is all wrinkled. What’s up?”

„Paige wants to see Josh.”

„Okay?” Michael frowned but when Tyler didn’t say anything else, he continued. „Well, he’s her father after all. That kept you awake all night? You can’t stop them from seeing each other, especially after the divorce.”

„That’s the problem. I kind of… I don’t know. I mean-”

„Are you having second thoughts?”

Tyler nodded.

„Finally!” Michael threw his hands in the air and looked up, like he was thanking God for listening to him.

„What does that suppose to mean? Are you on his side now?”

„I’m on nobody’s side. But all of this is getting ridiculous. You would be the biggest dick in the whole galaxy if you divorced Josh. He’s a mess, okay? He regrets what he’s done. He really does.”

„How do you know? Have you been talking to him?”

„Almost every day for the last three months.”

„ _What!?_ ”

„Tyler, Josh is your husband but he was my friend first. One of my best friends, actually. And what he’s done is… bad. And I’m really angry at him about it because you just don’t go to gay clubs, get shit-faced drunk and cheat on your husband with a random dude.”

„But?”

„But I think he deserves a second chance. Because he really regrets it. He cries himself to sleep every night – Debby’s words, not mine. He asks about you every time we talk. He asks about Paige. He’s devastated since you won’t let him talk to her, and – no offence, buddy – that’s really immature of you. Just because you fight, doesn’t mean that your daughter can’t stay in touch with her father.”

Tyler dropped his gaze, feeling embarrassed. 

„I’m still mad at him. But I still love him. I just… I wish I knew why he did it.” He sighed and looked up at Michael again. The other man bit his lip but didn’t say anything. Tyler noticed his hesitation. „I know this look. You know something I don’t.”

„It’s not my place to-”

„Tell me.”

„Look, I can only assume but... I think he missed you.”

„Huh?”

„You’re a workaholic, Tyler. You spend more time in this building than you do with your own family. You practically live here.”

„So it’s my fault now? It’s my fault that I work hard because I want to make sure that my family has everything they need?”

„They don’t need your money, you idiot. They need _you_. And I’m not saying this to make you upset. I’m saying this because before you sign the divorce papers, maybe you should put yourself in Josh’s position and walk at least a mile in his shoes.” Michael got up from his spot and made his way towards the door. „Please, drop these files on my desk when you’re done, alright? Tyler?”

„We had an argument the day before it… happened.” He said quietly, rubbing his hands over his face. „He told me the same thing, about me working too much. And Paige… She kinda opened up to me last night, for the first time since Josh moved out. Uh... Okay, yeah. Since- Since I threw him out.” He admitted when Michael cleared his throat louder than necessary. „And she was rambling and listing all those things she wants to do with him again. _Again!_ Like… I didn’t even know that they used to visit the cat cafe almost everyday after school or build blanket forts or that he was teaching her how to skateboard or...” He shook his head and run fingers through his hair. He loosened his tie even more. „She was really pushing the boundaries. It looked like she wanted to provoke me, mentioning Josh every ten seconds. Am I really that shitty husband and a father?”

„You’re not. I think you - both of you - you got lost somewhere on the way. But we all make mistakes. Mistakes are forgivable. And I think that if you forgive Josh, he will forgive you too. You’re both hurting and you’re both upset but maybe it’s time to men up and work out some form of agreement. For the sake of your kid. She’s the most important part of this deal right now.” Michael said. „It’s been three months, Tyler. I think Josh has learnt his lesson and I think you have learnt yours too.”

 

When Tyler was done with the diagrams again – checking twice for any mistakes – he left the papers on Michael’s desk and went straight to his boss’ office. She looked up from her laptop and gave him a questioning look, like she was waiting for some kind of explanation.

„I know, I was late this morning.” He raised his hands in defeat. „Sorry. I'm sorry. I had a rough night. Won’t happen again.” He put the red binder in front of her. „Jenna, I need to take a few days off.”

„Seriously? Now? When we’re in the middle of negotiations?”

„Yes. It’s important.”

„More important than signing a contract with South Korea? You know how long we have tried to convince them that we’re exactly what they’re looking for.”

„This is the last chance to save my marriage, Jenna. For once in my life, I need to swallow my pride and do what my heart says. And my heart says that my marriage comes first. South Korea is at the very bottom of the list at the moment.”

„Oh... Oh! Oh my God.”

„Don’t give me that face. Michael did a good job giving me a motivational talk this morning.”

„No, I mean... The whole building lives for your marriage drama. People place bets wondering if you two will ever get back together.”

„Great. Are you losing?”

„After what you just said? Nope.” Jenna grinned. „In all seriousness, are you sure that you want to give up on this project? I hope you’re aware that if you back off now, you won’t get promoted.”

„I don’t really care. I've already booked plane tickets to LA. I need at least a week off. And then we will need to modify my working hours.” He said. „Michael is more than willing to finish what I’ve started. He will take care of the negotiations. He deserves the promotion more than I do.”

„Alright.” She nodded. „Good luck then. Bring him back, would you? I need my main graphic designer back. Because the one I hired after Josh left is a walking mistake.”

 

After work, he went to pick up Paige from her piano lessons. She looked sad and the ride home was silent.

„Honey?” Tyler started.

She stopped playing with the new book about cat breeds he got her as a sorry for yelling at her in the morning and she looked up at him. And _God_ , she looked tired. It was only a Monday evening and she looked exhausted, and no six year old should ever look that tired.

„Yes?”

„Is everything okay?”

„Mhm.” She nodded and got back to flipping pages again.

„Are you lying?” 

„No.”

„Paige.” He said firmly. He used that tone only if he had to.

„I hate piano classes.” She mumbled.

„What?” He looked at her briefly before focusing on the road again. „I thought you liked them.”

„I hate them! I hate playing the piano. I’ve never liked it.”

He stopped at the red light and gave her his full attention. Her fingers were gripping hard on the book and she looked like she was about to burst into tears. Tyler knew she would never do that, not in front of him. He’s told her too many times not to be a cry-baby, he tried to teach her to be a tough girl even if Josh was against it. Josh always said that she’s only a kid and kids are allowed to cry. He was always the one to sit her down - after she cut her finger or scratched her knee - and comfort her, putting a colorful band-aid on the wound, repeating that it’s okay to let it go when she was biting hard on her lip to stop herself from letting out a sob.

„Is there any particular reason?”

„I don’t like it. I don’t get it. There’s too much to remember. I don’t understand notes.” She shrugged. „And Mr. Williams always shouts at me when I press wrong keys. He never smiles and he has this long wooden ruler and sometimes he hits kids here...” She pointed at the top of her hand. „...when they play wrong chords.”

Tyler’s blood boiled. He gritted his teeth and pushed the gas pedal when the light turned green again.

„Had he ever hit you?”

„No. He usually just shouts really loudly. He’s scary.”

„Well, you can be sure that you won’t go there anymore.”

„Really?” Her face lit up. „Really? Dad?”

„Yes. I’m sorry I made you go there in the first place. Is there anything else you would like to do instead?”

Paige opened her mouth but didn’t say anything. She shook her head and focused on her book again.

„You have something in mind, I can tell.”

„I-”

„Yes?”

„No. Nothing.”

„Paige.”

„You can pick something. I know I need to stay somewhere after school because you work.”

Tyler’s eyes widened. She was too damn smart for a six year old.

„I want you to choose something you would enjoy doing. You can see what happens when I choose your activities.”

„I wish you just picked me up from school and we could go home and watch cartoons or draw pictures, or make pancakes.” She mumbled under her breath and Tyler had to listen very closely to understand what she was saying. 

There was only one thing left to add but she didn’t dare to speak. He could hear her voice in his head saying: _because that’s what me and daddy used to do before he moved out_. He parked the car in the driveway outside their house and shifted in his seat, turning to her.

„You know, I've been thinking about our earlier conversation and… Do you think we’re ready to forgive daddy all the bad he’s done and tell him we’re not mad anymore?”

„Really? Yes!” The sudden mood change and excitement in her voice made Tyler all warm inside.

„Do you think we should ditch school and work and go to Los Angeles, and ask him to come back home?”

„Yes! Yes, please!” She let out a squeal. 

„You’re excited like I just asked you if you want to go to the Disneyland.”

„Daddy is better than Disneyland.”

„Alright then, I guess we’re going to California. And you know what? I won’t go to work tomorrow and you can skip school so we can spend the whole day together. Maybe we could go to the park and buy some cotton candy? And then, on Wednesday, we will fly to LA.”

She unbuckled the belt and threw herself at him. He laughed while she climbed in his lap and kissed his cheek.

„You’re my favorite.”

„I thought daddy was your favorite.”

„Daddy is not here right now so I need to be happy with what I have.”

He could swear she _smirked_ at him. _Oh, the sass_. She definitely had Josh’s big heart and personality but Tyler’s dirty mouth. 

„You’re unbelievable.” 

 

After dinner (he ordered pizza, as a celebration) when Paige was busy playing with her puzzles, he decided to let Debby know about his plans.

/Is Josh still staying with you?/

/ _yes, why?_ /

/I’m coming over. I’m bringing Paige. Don’t tell him about that though./

/ _why??? what’s happening???_ /

/We’re taking him home./

/ _tyler what?? i hope this is not a joke?_ /

/No. Please, don’t tell him. Paige wants it to be a surprise./

/ _of course. it’s about time. I swear one more week in front of the tv on my couch and he would seriously start rotting like an old potato._ /

/ _when will you be here?_ /

/We have a morning flight on Wednesday. We should be there around noon. Please, text me your address./

 

Wednesday coudn’t come fast enough. When they finally found themselves on the plane almost 30,000ft above the ground, Paige couldn't stop bouncing in her seat looking out of the window. Tyler could tell that she was excited. He, on the other hand, was nervous. 

„Paige, please.” He growled when after a few more minutes she was still shifting impatiently in her seat. „There’s still more than four hours left. Do you want to watch something?”

They scrolled through the list of films but nothing caught her attention.

„No _Transformers_?”

„No, sorry.”

A sudden movement in the seat in front of them startled them and then a head of a little boy poked through the space between two chairs.

„You like _Transformers_?” He asked. „Me too!”

They grinned at each other and in that moment Tyler knew he was saved. He let out a breath of relief and sank back into his seat. He watched as they talked for a bit and then he focused on his phone. He checked his e-mails (he couldn’t stop himself from buying Wi-Fi for this flight) and organized his calendar for the first time in ages. He also flicked through his phone’s gallery – something he hadn’t done in a while. He smiled when a photo he knew too well popped up on the screen: Josh and Paige, in the park, on one swing, laughing. He set it as his wallpaper. 

He wasn’t nervous anymore.

 

Back on the ground, they left the airport and Tyler hailed a cab, giving the driver Debby’s address. He wasn’t quick enough to knock on the front door when it swung open and a madly grinning Debby welcomed them with hugs and kisses.

„I’m so excited!” She said quietly. „Come in, come in. Make yourself at home, please.” She guided them to the living room. „He seemed fine last night but now he’s mopping again. Should I get him?”

Tyler nodded. It was now or never. He sat down on the couch while Paige was still standing in the middle of the room, excitedly jumping up and down. Debby disappeared in the hallway. Hushed voices filled the quiet apartment and after a few minutes of convincing Josh to leave his room, she finally came back with him at her side. 

And Tyler’s heart broke in the same moment. Josh looked... bad. Miserable. He was skinnier and paler than ever, looked tired and there were dark circles under his eyes. Ridiculous beard was covering his face, his hair was messy and tangled and the pink dye was already fading, dark roots showing. Josh stopped in the doorway when he noticed who was in the room. Before he could completely process what was happening, Paige rushed forward and wrapped her arms around his waist.

„Daddy!” She yelled and when Josh finally realized it wasn’t a dream, he lifted her up in his arms and hugged like his life depended on it. 

„Princess.” He mumbled against the fabric of her jumper. „Oh my God.” He tried really hard not to burst into tears on the spot.

Finally, he lowered his daughter to the floor and rufled her long brown hair. She has never left his side, still clinging to him. And for the first time, Josh looked straight at Tyler.

„Hi.” He said hesitantly.

„Hi.”

„What-” He took a deep breath. „What are you doing here?”

„We’re taking you home!” Paige yelled before Tyler could say anything and she grinned. „Because I missed you and dad forgave you and I forgive you too even if I don’t know what you've done and I drew you things, I have pictures in my bag. There is a Christmas-themed play at school next week and you need to be there. You need to see me because I got the angel part and grandma said that she will sew me a white dress but you need to help me make wings and you need to repaint my room because I don’t like pink anymore, I want it yellow now. And dad doesn’t let me eat as much candy as you do and I-” Her eyes wandered to the hallway. „Was that a cat? Oh gosh, dad, there’s a cat!” She let go of her father.

„That’s Snow. Do you want to meet her? We should let your parents talk, okay?” Debby said, taking Paige by the hand and leading her out of the living room.

Josh looked at Tyler again.

„Well, I wouldn’t be able to explain it better.” Tyler laughed and scratched the back of his head. Josh still hasn’t moved from his spot almost like he was afraid to come closer. Tyler noticed his hesitation and finally got up from the couch, took a few steps forward and stood in front of his husband. „Hey.” He took Josh’s hand and laced their fingers together. He put his other hand on the back of Josh’s neck and leaned in, placing a gentle kiss on the other man’s forehead. „I missed you.”

Josh swallowed nervously looking at Tyler, like he didn’t know what to do.

„Oh, baby.” Tyler sighed and embraced his husband. „Come here.”

Josh lost it. He pushed forward, wrapping his arms around Tyler, resting his head on the younger man’s shoulder. He started sobbing loudly, repeating the same thing over and over again.

„I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry-” 

„Shh. It’s okay. Breathe.” Tyler said, rubbing his back. „It’s fine.”

„It’s not fine! I cheated on you!” He sniffled. Tyler winced. It still stung a little bit. „I didn’t do it on purpose, I swear to God, I didn’t go there looking for sex, I didn’t mean to- You weren’t talking to me and I just wanted to get wasted, I drank too much and he was there and he looked like you and-”

„Josh. Josh! Stop. It’s okay. I already forgave you.”

„But I still haven’t forgiven myself!” Josh said desperately. „I’ve ruined it all. I’ve ruined our marriage. How could I be so stupid?”

„You haven’t ruined anything. It hurts, yes. But I haven’t been the best of husbands either. I’ve been so focused on my work, I haven’t had time for my own family. I’ve been missing on so many things. I realized I don’t know my own daughter as much as I should. Josh, it’s me who’s sorry. I’m sorry for not giving you enough attention. I’m sorry for judging the way you work, I don’t care, you can work from home, it’s even better that way because at least you enjoy what you do and you always have time for Paige, unlike me.”

„Still, I was the one who chea-”

„Shh, shh.” Tyler stopped him befere he got himself worked up. „We’ll be alright. I called off the divorce, I’m gonna change my working hours, I will spend more time with you and Paige. I've already told Jenna that I need to focus on my family more and I don’t care about the promotion. Oh, she said she wants you back as her web designer. You also need to teach me how to dutch-braid Paige’s hair because YouTube tutorials suck.”

Josh’s head shot up.

„You did what?”

„Told Jenna that-”

„No. Divorce. You said-”

„I called my lawyer, told him I don’t need him anymore. I didn’t sign the papers, I ripped them to pieces and threw them away.”

„Really?” Josh put his hand over his mouth and let out another heavy sob. More tears spilled out of his eyes.

„Yeah.” Tyler smiled and wiped the wet tracks off his husband’s face. „It was so childish of me. I overreacted. I was hurt but I didn’t see that you were hurting too.”

„I love you so much, Tyler.”

„I love you too, baby. But there’s one thing you need to do or the divorce is still happening.”

„Anything.”

„Shave that stupid beard off.”

Josh laughed and Tyler’s lips found their way to where they belonged. After a gentle making-out session in Debby‘s living room, filled with Tyler’s giggles between kisses because of not being used to Josh having any facial hair, he pulled back.

„One more news. I've booked us three tickets for tomorrow’s flight to Columbus. We’re going back home. Together. It’s time to let Debby breathe, don’t you think?”

„She’s an amazing friend.” Josh nodded.

„I know. She managed to put up with you for three months. She deserves a medal.”

„She really does.”

And they were kissing again.

„Gross.” They heard a small voice coming from the doorway. They grinned and turned around to look at their daughter who was standing there holding a white ball of fluff in her arms. „Dad, can we get a cat?”

„Oh, sure. Two.” Tyler said sarcastically.

„Really?!”

„No!” 

„Ugh, I hate you!” She stomped her foot in frustration and got back to playing with Snow.

„You’re mean.” Josh said. „Maybe we… Maybe _you_ should let her have a pet.”

„She had a turtle and we both know how it ended.”

„She was _four_ , Tyler.”

„I’ll think about it, okay? Christmas is just around the corner, so maybe-” He stopped in the middle of sentence when Josh gasped with excitement. Tyler rolled his eyes. „I swear to God, you’re both obsessed.”

 

The next day, during their flight back home, with Paige squeezed on the seat between them watching _Elf_ on the small screen in front of her, Tyler locked his eyes with Josh and when Josh smiled at him, he knew that they will be alright.

„Dad?” Paige turned her head and looked up at him. „If I can’t get a cat, can I at least get a sister?”

 _At least_.

Josh bit hard on his fist and turned his head to the window. Tyler could see that his shoulders started to shake from laughter.

Oh yeah, they definitely will be alright.


End file.
